Maqbool Fida Husain, (born September 17, 1915, Pandharpur, India) popularly known as MF, is an artist of Indian

origin.
According to Forbes magazine, he has been called the "Picasso of India".[2] In 1996 controversy arose over paintings
originally painted in the 1970s which were interpreted as anti-Hindu. After legal cases and death threats in his home
country, he was on a self imposed exile from 2006. In January, 2010, he was offered the citizenship of Qatar, which he
accepted.
1940-1965
Husain first became well-known as an artist in the late 1940s. In 1947, he joined the Progressive Artists' Group, founded
by Francis Newton Souza. This was a clique of young artists who wished to break with the nationalist traditions
established by the Bengal school of art and to encourage an Indian avant-garde, engaged at an international level. In 1952,
his first solo exhibition was held at Zürich and over the next few years, his work was widely seen in Europe and the U.S.
In 1955, he was awarded the prestigious Padma Shree prize by the Government of India.[3]
[edit] 1965-1990
In 1967, he made his first film, Through the Eyes of a Painter. It was shown at the Berlin Film Festival and won a Golden
Bear.[4][5]
M. F. Husain was a special invitee along with Pablo Picasso at the Sao Paulo Biennial in 1971.[5] He has been awarded the
Padma Bhushan in 1973 and was nominated to the Rajya Sabha in 1986.[5] He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in
1991.
[edit] 1990-present
Husain went on to become the highest paid painter in India. His single canvases have fetched up to $2 million at a recent
Christie's auction.[6]
He has also worked (produced & directed) on few movies, including Gaja Gamini (with his muse Madhuri Dixit who was
the subject of a series of his paintings which he signed Fida). The film was intended as a tribute to Ms. Dixit herself. [7] In
this film she can be seen portraying various forms and manifestations of womanhood including the muse of Kalidasa, the
Mona Lisa, a rebel, and musical euphoria. He went on to make Meenaxi: A Tale of Three Cities (with Tabu). His
autobiography is being made into a movie tentatively titled The Making of the Painter, starring Shreyas Talpade as the
young Husain.[8]
The Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) (USA, Massachusetts) showed a solo exhibition from 4 November 2006 to 3 June
2007. It exhibited Husain’s paintings inspired by the Hindu epic, Mahabharata.
At the age of 92 Husain was to be given the prestigious Raja Ravi Varma award by the government of Kerala.[9] The
announcement led to controversy in Kerala and some cultural organisations campaigned against the granting of the award
and petitioned the Kerala courts. Sabarimala spokesperson, Rahul Easwar, went to Kerala High Court and it granted an
interim order to stay the granting of the award until the petition had been disposed of. [10]
In early 2008, Husain’s Battle of Ganga and Jamuna: Mahabharata 12, a large diptych, from the Hindu epic, fetched $1.6
million, setting a world record at Christie's South Asian Modern and Contemporary Art sale
Mother India
In the February 6, 2006 issue, India Today, a national English weekly published an advertisement titled "Art For Mission
Kashmir". This advertisement contains a painting of Bharatmata (Mother India) as a nude woman posed across a map of
India with the names of Indian States on various parts of her body. The exhibition was organised by Nafisa Ali of Action
India (NGO) and Apparao Art Gallery.[22] Organizations like Hindu Jagruti Samiti and Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) have
protested persistently against Husain displaying the painting on the websites and even in exhibitions in north Europe. As a
result, on February 7, 2006 Husain apologised and promised to withdraw the painting from an auction. [23][24] The painting
later appeared on Husain's official website.
[edit] Meenaxi: A Tale of Three Cities
Husain's film Meenaxi: A Tale of Three Cities[25] was pulled out of movie theatres a day after some Muslim organisations
raised objections to one of the songs in it.[26] The All-India Ulema Council complained that the Qawwali song Noor-un-
Ala-Noor was blasphemous. It argued that the song contained words directly taken from the Quran. The council was
supported by Muslim organisations like the Milli Council, All-India Muslim Council, Raza Academy, Jamiat-ul-Ulema-e-
Hind and Jamat-e-Islami. Husain's son stated that the words were a phrase referring to divine beauty that were being sung
by the central character played by Tabu. He said there was no intention to offend. Following the wave of protests the
enraged artist pulled off his movie from the theaters. The movie was well received by the critics, however, and went on to
win various awards.